Eragon Continued
by k8gallagirl
Summary: A short epilogue I wrote for the inheritance cycle.


Authors Note: Eragon Continued is a one shot, so this is it, no more coming.

Disclaimer: The Inheritance Cycle and all it's characters belong to Christopher Paolini.

Eragon couldn't sleep. He reached out his mind to Saphira, but found her deep in slumber. He drew back the covers and got out of bed. As Eragon rose, he looked out the window, only to see some young riders sitting by the side of a small fire. He put on his cloak and walked outside. The three rose and said "Atra du evarínya ono varda, Eragon-elda," in unison with the twisting gesture the elves accompany the greeting with. "Atra esterní ono thelduin, Caeli, Liznay, Thamos," Eragon replied in turn. They were new students, and he took a moment to study their faces. Thamos was a Kull, with huge horns despite his young age. Eragon knew him to be a fierce warrior. Caeli was an elf, with catlike features and a face that made him think of Arya. Liznay was also an elf, but with slightly rounder features that lead Eragon to believe that she had a human ancestor somewhere in her family tree. They were a very diverse group, but Eragon knew for a fact that they were all close friends.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked them. Caeli spoke for the group, saying, "Our dragons wanted to hunt, so we came out to wait for them together." "Would you care to sit with us?" Liznay added. Eragon sat on a stump, and watched the shifting colors of the fire, placing a hand on his sword, Brisingr. All was silent for a while and then, the girls asked, "Eragon-elda, would you tell us a story?" Their eyes looked pleadingly at him, and he agreed. "This is the story of an elfin princess and a young rider." he started, "Once, long ago, in a time when Alagaësia was stricken by war and bloodshed, there was a beautiful elfin princess. She had shining black hair, and piercing eyes, and a heart that she kept closed to the world after much heartache. There came a day when she found herself in great peril, and was saved by a young rider and dragon. The rider fell for her the moment he saw her, but she was wary, and kept her heart shut. They became comrades and friends, fighting side by side. It came to be that they grew closer and closer with each passing day. They journeyed across Alagaësia, fighting many battles and sharing many memorable moments. When the final battle was fought, they parted ways for a while. The rider and his dragon decided to leave for the home of the riders, and went to see the princess, who was now queen, before they left. They were overjoyed to find that she had become a rider too, and begged her and her dragon to go with them, but she could not abandon her people. So after a time, they parted ways for the last time. Their hearts were broken, and they became so sad that they became withdrawn. The eldunarí, seeing their pain, racked their ancient and wise memories, trying to find a spell that could allow the two to be together. After many years, they succeeded. It is said that on some moonlit nights, you can see the riders walking together through the woods, their dragons flying together high above the tree tops." Eragon looked at his students, and upon finding them fast asleep, cast a spell floating them back to the dormitories for the younger riders. He stared at the flames, and heard Saphira's mind stirring. She came out, and the dragons of the young riders landed. Tameka, Genta, and Solus asked after their riders, and upon hearing that they were back in the dormitories, followed them to bed. Eragon and Saphira sat alone for a few moments, admiring the full moon, when they heard a noise behind them. They turned with a smile to see a dark haired elf and a green dragon emerging from the woods.

"A lovely story," Ayra said, "Where ever did you think of it?" Eragon laughed, and embraced her. The Saphira and Fírnen roared, and took off. Eragon took Arya's hand, and they walked together, talking and laughing, the joy obvious on their faces. They knew that tomorrow, they'd be back to their normal lives, but it didn't worry them. They didn't spend near enough time together to waste it on worries. They walked on hand in hand through the forest. After a time, they stopped talking out loud, and their minds melded together without them even realizing it. Two were one, and as one, they no longer needed words. Their love was deeper than words.


End file.
